Twisted Metal ''Twisted Metal'' is a series of vehicular combat video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and developed by various companies. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As o ...

Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

Rhett Reese Rhett Reese is an American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, his early credits included ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' and '' Cruel Intentions 3''. He has collaborated with Paul Wernick, writing the films ...

Paul Wernick Paul Wernick is a Canadian television/movie screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplays to the 2016 superhero film ''Deadpool'' and its 2018 sequel with his creative partner Rhett Reese. Career Early career Wernick ha ...

Anthony Mackie Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his per ...

Stephanie Beatriz Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress, model and singer. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/ NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), and voicing protagonist Mir ...

Joe Seanoa Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as A ...

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular chara ...

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in '' Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

Leo Birenberg Leo Birenberg is an American composer and orchestrator for film and television. Career Born in Kentucky and raised in Chicago, Birenberg studied composition at NYU and USC. While there, he started composing his first scores in collaboration wit ...

PlayStation Productions PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. History Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions in 2019 with a focus on adapting the company's video game franchis ...

Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predec ...

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Enterta ...

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

action comedy Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre. Film The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of act ...

Rhett Reese Rhett Reese is an American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, his early credits included ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' and '' Cruel Intentions 3''. He has collaborated with Paul Wernick, writing the films ...

Paul Wernick Paul Wernick is a Canadian television/movie screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplays to the 2016 superhero film ''Deadpool'' and its 2018 sequel with his creative partner Rhett Reese. Career Early career Wernick ha ...

vehicular combat Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled ...

Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

Anthony Mackie Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his per ...

Stephanie Beatriz Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress, model and singer. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/ NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), and voicing protagonist Mir ...

Joe Seanoa Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as A ...

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular chara ...

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in '' Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

milkman Milk delivery is a delivery service dedicated to supplying milk. This service typically delivers milk in bottles or cartons directly to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a cow ...

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Enterta ...

PlayStation Productions PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. History Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions in 2019 with a focus on adapting the company's video game franchis ...

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Anthony Mackie Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his per ...

as John Doe *

Stephanie Beatriz Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress, model and singer. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/ NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), and voicing protagonist Mir ...

as Quiet *

Joe Seanoa Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as A ...

as Sweet Tooth **

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular chara ...

as the voice of Sweet Tooth *

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in '' Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

as Agent Stone

Recurring

*

Richard Cabral Richard Cabral (born August 28, 1984) is an American actor, occasional producer and writer. He is best known for his roles on ''Mayans M.C.'' on FX, the ABC television series '' American Crime'', which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nominati ...

as Loud * Jared Bankens as Shepard *

Neve Campbell Neve Adrianne Campbell (born October 3, 1973; ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in the drama and horror genres. She has appeared on ''People'' magazine's list of "50 Most Beautiful People" twice. Following a series of minor a ...

as Raven * Mike Mitchell as Stu * Tahj Vaughans as Mike * Jamie Neumann as Miranda Watts * Diany Rodriguez as Amber Rose * Angel Giuffria as Tinker * Chelle Ramos as Jamie Roberts * Michael Carollo as Carl Roberts * Anthony Mackie Jr. as young John

Guest

* Lou Beatty Jr. as Tommy * Peg O'Keef as Granny Dread *

Chloe Fineman Chloe Rose Fineman (born July 20, 1988) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Fineman became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' starting in its 45th season in September 2019, and was promoted to re ...

as Bloody Mary * Creek Wilson as Mr. Slam *

Jason Mantzoukas Jason Mantzoukas (, el, Ιάσων Μαντζούκας; born December 18, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series '' The League'', and as one of the t ...

as Preacher {{clear

Episodes

{{Episode table , background=#8F9A7F , overall= , title= , director= , writer= , airdate= , released=y , episodes= {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 1 , Title = WLUDRV , DirectedBy = Kitao Sakurai , WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay, s=

Rhett Reese Rhett Reese is an American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, his early credits included ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' and '' Cruel Intentions 3''. He has collaborated with Paul Wernick, writing the films ...

&

Paul Wernick Paul Wernick is a Canadian television/movie screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplays to the 2016 superhero film ''Deadpool'' and its 2018 sequel with his creative partner Rhett Reese. Career Early career Wernick ha ...

and Michael Jonathan Smith, t=Michael Jonathan Smith, tfirst=y , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = In a post-apocalyptic world after a large-scale cyber attack, cities have become walled fortresses. Criminals have been exiled outside the cities and live in a lawless area. Outside of the cities, some individuals work as milkmen, and transport goods between cities. One milkman, John Doe, is transporting goods to New San Francisco, and meets with the Chief Operations Officer of the city, Raven. Raven asks John to retrieve a package from New Chicago, in exchange for citizenship in New San Francisco. Raven introduces John to her husband, Noah, and child, Dove, and treats him to a nice dinner. After John leaves to retrieve the package, Raven reveals that her offer has been a setup, and she does not have a child or a spouse. Outside of the cities, a brother and sister, Loud and Quiet, are fleeing from Agent Stone and his deputy, Shepard. They are apprehended, and given the choice for one of them killing themselves or they both die. Loud kills himself, and Quiet is branded. John travels through

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

on his way to New Chicago when he encounters Quiet, and realizes that she had previously tried to break into his car. They begin to fight, but decide to team up after they are pursued by a psychopathic clown, Sweet Tooth. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 2 , Title = 3RNCRCS , DirectedBy = Kitao Sakurai , WrittenBy = Michael Jonathan Smith , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = Quiet and John flee from Sweet Tooth in Las Vegas, when they're fighting again over a car. They retreat into a casino, and Quiet flees into a vent. John is apprehended by Sweet Tooth, who insists that John must see his show. Sweet Tooth reveals that Quiet is also his prisoner, but John convinces him to release her. Sweet Tooth puts on a show and asks for their feedback; he becomes angry when John compliments him. Quiet, who had previously acted as if she was mute, criticizes the show. Sweet Tooth appreciates their honesty and releases them. Outside of Las Vegas, cannibals are preparing to eat former security guards, Mike and Stu, when they are rescued by Agent Stone. Stone offers them the chance to join his unit if they kill people attempting to steal supplies. After they join Officer Stone, Mike and Stu are at a checkpoint that John and Quiet attempt to drive through. Quiet recognizes Shepard, who was present when Loud killed himself, and tries to attack him. Quiet and John are both stunned and apprehended. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 3 , Title = NTHLAW1 , DirectedBy =

Jude Weng Jude Weng (Chinese name: Weng Fei-fei/"翁菲菲") is a Taiwanese-born American director, writer and producer of episodic streaming/TV and feature films. Career Weng's episodic experience includes both multi- and single-camera half-hour comedies ...

, WrittenBy = Grant Dekernion , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = John and Quiet are apprehended at Hoover Dam and brought in for questioning. Agent Stone is curious about John's map, which shows a route to New Chicago that avoids all of Stone's checkpoints. Stone orders for John and Quiet to be killed, but they convince Stu not to kill them and escape together. Stu brings John back to his car, while Quiet kills Shepard and learns that Stone has traveled to

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central ...

. The three of them try to flee together, but Stu is injured by the car and is captured by Mike. John and Quiet flee, and she asks him to take her to Topeka. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 4 , Title = WHZDARE , DirectedBy =

Maggie Carey Maggie Carey (born ) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actress. She has directed comedy shorts for television, and she wrote and directed the 2013 film '' The To Do List''. Early life and education Carey was raised in Boi ...

, WrittenBy = Shaun Diston , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = While traveling to Topeka, John and Quiet are apprehended by a group of survivors living in trucks. Their captor, Watts, introduces them to an elderly woman, Granny, and asks John to retrieve a flower in exchange for his weapons for his car. He travels to meet Watts's old lover, Amber, who is suspicious on them and plans to kill him and Quiet. Quiet convinces Amber that they are trying to help Granny, and Amber lets them leave with the flower. They are pursued by religious fanatics and hide in a movie theater. John washes Quiet's jacket, which upsets her as it still has blood from her dead brother, Loud. They return the flower to Granny, who adds it to tea that she drinks to kill herself. The survivors have a funeral for Granny, Quiet forgives John, and the two of them leave for Topeka. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 5 , Title = CRZSRDS , DirectedBy = Jude Weng , WrittenBy = Francesca Gailes & Jacqueline J. Gailes , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = Following their departure from the convoy, John and Quiet recover their stolen items from the Vultures and subsequently get hold of two grape drinks, causing John to pass out as his drink was poisoned using an herb from Amber's home by Quiet, wanting to kill Stone on her own. Meanwhile, at the dam outpost, Stu is awaiting execution, whereas Sweet Tooth raids the outpost, killing all of Stone's henchmen and freeing the death row prisoners; causing them to be inspired to join him on a killing spree and raid all the other outposts. Stu selflessly refuses to let Mike die, although he betrayed him earlier. Quiet infiltrates a police car and disguises herself as one of Stone's agents. She starts to suffer hallucinations of her late brother, Loud. Her cover is soon blown due to her bionic finger forcing her to go head-to-head with Stone in battle; nevertheless, Stone overpowers her and attempts to kill her using machine guns. Just then, John, having missed Quiet, appears and shoots Stone with his only missile. Quiet, weak from her injuries blacks out and John starts carrying her to safety. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 6 , Title = DRVTHRU , DirectedBy = Maggie Carey , WrittenBy = Alison Tafel , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = While waiting out a storm in the Astral Burger, a former fast-food restaurant, Quiet is angry that John did not kill Stone, but then they have sex in the restaurant's

ball pit A ball pit (originally called a ball crawl, also known as a ball pool or ball pond) is a padded box or pool filled with small colorful hollow plastic balls generally no larger than in diameter. They are typically marketed as recreation and exe ...

. Quiet reflects upon her former life; she and Loud worked picking oranges, and Quiet got them a contract to work for four years of indentured servitude in a human settlement in exchange for beachfront property. Three years later, Quiet and Loud both work in the OC community, where servants are abused, including amputations as punishment. Quiet's middle finger was removed by her master and worn on a necklace. At the Astral Burger, she encounters Loud, who works there. An active shooter outside causes the restaurant to be locked down, and Quiet sneaks away to talk to Loud. They are discovered by the manager, who promises to punish Loud. Outside, the active shooter is a servant who screams that the promise of getting land is a lie, and she is shot by law enforcement. That night, the manager cuts off Loud's ear and prepares to hand him over to law enforcement, but the two officers and the manager are killed by Quiet, who has escaped from her master. The two flee the settlement. In the present day, Quiet and John bond, and they drive toward New Chicago. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 7 , Title = NUTH0UZ , DirectedBy = Bill Benz , WrittenBy = Alyssa Forleiter , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = Sweet Tooth and other escaped prisoners arrive at an asylum. Sweet Tooth takes Stu to his old cell, where he reveals that he was a former child actor, named "Marcus Kane", who killed a dog on his show out of jealousy. After the collapse of society, he locked his mother and stepfather in his cell. He destroys their skeletons, and he and Stu find the rest of the prisoners have been killed by Stone, with Mike working for him. Mike goes to ensure everyone is dead but is captured by Sweet Tooth. John and Quiet arrive in New Chicago where they go into an underground room and receive the package from Calypso. On their drive back, they stop at a milkman rest stop, where they encounter Mary, one of John's former lovers. She is jealous of his relationship with Quiet and learns that John is conducting this run to get into New San Francisco. She informs the other milkmen, and a fight over his package begins. John and Quiet kill everyone else and escape. As they leave, a woman sends a message to Stone informing him of their destination. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 8 , Title = EV3L1N , DirectedBy = Bill Benz , WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay, s=Ify Nwadiwe, t=Alyssa Forleiter & Alison Tafel, tfirst=y , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = In a flashback, a child John has a bad car accident and is unable to remember details about his life. While trying to survive, he discovers Evelyn, an orange rally-style sports car. While staying in Evelyn, he survives an encounter with cannibals and drives to a salvage yard, and works on his car. In the present, Quiet and John stop to look for a photograph that fell out of his car. While they are away, several Holy Men steal Evelyn. John and Quiet chase after them to the Holy Men encampment, where they are led by Preacher. John challenges Preacher to a fight, which he loses and is imprisoned. Quiet steals a car and rescues John, but he insists he must retrieve Evelyn. Quiet leaves while John returns to his car, where he fights Preacher again. Preacher shoots the car's gas tank, and the car explodes in a resulting fire. The Holy Men flee, and John creates a memorial for Evelyn. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 9 , Title = R04DK11 , DirectedBy = Kitao Sakurai , WrittenBy = Grant Dekernion & Becca Black , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = John finds a car at the Holy Men encampment and flees. Quiet has an accident and is rescued by Watts's convoy. On board, she reconnects with John. She admits that she is upset that he chose Evelyn over her, and he insists that he considers her an equal partner. The convoy comes under attack from Stone's men. After armoring up and weaponizing their new car, John and Quiet decided to name it "Roadkill". The convoy drives into Stone's blockade; Stone's men prepare to attack them but are surprised by the arrival of Sweet Tooth, who fires missiles at them. , LineColor = 8F9A7F {{Episode list , EpisodeNumber = 10 , Title = SHNGRLA , DirectedBy = Kitao Sakurai , WrittenBy = Michael Jonathan Smith , OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2023, 7, 27 , ShortSummary = During a showdown at a racetrack, John and Quiet defeat Stone and leave him with the option to commit suicide. Sweet Tooth tries to get Stu to kill Mike, but Stu shoots Sweet Tooth instead and leaves him for dead. John and Quiet return to New San Francisco and deliver the package to Raven. John attempts to bring Quiet into New San Francisco but is not allowed to. He announces that he won't enter either, but Quiet shoots him to force him to be taken into New San Francisco and leaves. A month later, John is bored with his life in the settlement, and Quiet is stealing deliveries from milkmen and giving them to people outside settlements. John says that he wants to leave, and Raven takes him to his childhood home. She tries to convince him to stay, but he insists on leaving. Raven has John held at gunpoint and tells him that he will be her driver in a tournament with other cities to win the ultimate prize from Calypso. Outside the city, Quiet's car is hindered by a team of masked women; their leader reveals that she is John's sister. Stu and Mike relax on a beach and are surprised when Sweet Tooth arrives; he kills Mike and drags Stu away. , LineColor = 8F9A7F

Production

Development

In May 2019, during an investor relations presentation,

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Enterta ...

confirmed that a television series based on the video game series, ''

Twisted Metal ''Twisted Metal'' is a series of vehicular combat video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and developed by various companies. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As o ...

'', was in "advanced development" alongside

PlayStation Productions PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. History Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions in 2019 with a focus on adapting the company's video game franchis ...

. By February 2021, the series was announced with

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular chara ...

,

Rhett Reese Rhett Reese is an American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, his early credits included ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' and '' Cruel Intentions 3''. He has collaborated with Paul Wernick, writing the films ...

, Michael Jonathan Smith and

Paul Wernick Paul Wernick is a Canadian television/movie screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplays to the 2016 superhero film ''Deadpool'' and its 2018 sequel with his creative partner Rhett Reese. Career Early career Wernick ha ...

on board to executive produce. Smith serves as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

and wrote the series based on an original take by Reese and Wernick. In February 2022, the half-hour action-comedy was

greenlit To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...

by

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

. The following month, Kitao Sakurai joined the series as an executive producer in addition to directing multiple episodes. On December 7, 2023, Peacock renewed the series for a second season.

Casting and characters

In September 2021,

Anthony Mackie Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his per ...

serves as one of the executive producers and was the first to be cast. He plays John Doe, a "smart-ass

milkman Milk delivery is a delivery service dedicated to supplying milk. This service typically delivers milk in bottles or cartons directly to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a cow ...

" with amnesia, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if he can survive the onslaught of

vehicular combat Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlled ...

. In May 2022,

Stephanie Beatriz Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress, model and singer. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/ NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), and voicing protagonist Mir ...

and

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in '' Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

were cast in starring roles as Quiet and Agent Stone, respectively. Quiet is a car thief that forms an antagonistic bond with John Doe. Agent Stone is described as "a cold and unyielding post-apocalyptic highway patrolman who rules the roads".

Neve Campbell Neve Adrianne Campbell (born October 3, 1973; ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in the drama and horror genres. She has appeared on ''People'' magazine's list of "50 Most Beautiful People" twice. Following a series of minor a ...

was cast in a recurring role as Raven.{{Cite web, last=Cordero, first=Rosy, title='Twisted Metal': Neve Campbell Cast In Peacock's Live-Action Video Game Adaptation, url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/twisted-metal-neve-campbell-cast-peacock-series-1235028800/, website=

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...

, date=May 20, 2022, access-date=May 20, 2022, archive-date=May 31, 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531082507/https://deadline.com/2022/05/twisted-metal-neve-campbell-cast-peacock-series-1235028800/, url-status=live In June,

Will Arnett William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular chara ...

joined the cast, voicing the character Sweet Tooth from the video game series. Sweet Tooth is a "hulking killer in a ghoulish clown mask who prowls the streets of "Lost Vegas" in his weaponized ice cream truck". Pro-wrestler

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AEW ...

physically portrays Sweet Tooth. In an interview with ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...

'', when asked how pro wrestling history influenced his performance, he said "I think the biggest thing was kind of learning to work beyond the mask, which is something you very commonly see in wrestling. From the luchadores of old to our modern highflyers today, having the ability to kind of emote beyond essentially having a dead face is something that was very easy for me to do, especially with this character".

Richard Cabral Richard Cabral (born August 28, 1984) is an American actor, occasional producer and writer. He is best known for his roles on ''Mayans M.C.'' on FX, the ABC television series '' American Crime'', which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nominati ...

was cast as Beatriz's overprotective brother, Loud. Tahj Vaughans and Mike Mitchell portray best friends, Mike and Stu. Lou Beatty Jr. plays Tommy, "a grizzled and weathered cartographer who knows the dangers of the Wild Midwest".{{cite web , last1=Cordero , first1=Rosy , title=''Twisted Metal'': AEW's Joe Seanoa To Play Dual Role Of 'Sweet Tooth' Voiced By Will Arnett; 3 More To Recur , url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/twisted-metal-aew-joe-seanoa-1235037707/ , website=

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...

, access-date=June 2, 2022 , date=June 2, 2022 , archive-date=June 2, 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602234202/https://deadline.com/2022/06/twisted-metal-aew-joe-seanoa-1235037707/ , url-status=live

Filming

On an estimated budget (before tax incentives) of $45 million, season one began

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

in May 2022, in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

wrapped that August. Shooting in New Orleans in the summer came with some challenges. Michael Jonathan Smith told NOLA.com in an interview, "We dealt with lightning delays, hurricane threats, extreme heat and cars that wouldn't do as they were told".{{Cite web, date=January 4, 2023, last=Carde, first=Leslie, title=Anthony Mackie stars in TV version of video game ''Twisted Metal'', shot in New Orleans, url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/anthony-mackie-stars-in-new-orleans-shot-twisted-metal/article_a436ac16-8c5f-11ed-8796-b70e0323e28f.html, access-date=February 2, 2023, website= NOLA.com, archive-date=February 2, 2023, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202183420/https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/anthony-mackie-stars-in-new-orleans-shot-twisted-metal/article_a436ac16-8c5f-11ed-8796-b70e0323e28f.html, url-status=live

Music

The score was composed by

Leo Birenberg Leo Birenberg is an American composer and orchestrator for film and television. Career Born in Kentucky and raised in Chicago, Birenberg studied composition at NYU and USC. While there, he started composing his first scores in collaboration wit ...

and Zach Robinson, which they drew heavily from 2000s

nu-metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...

.

Release

''Twisted Metal'' premiered on

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

on July 27, 2023, with all 10 episodes. It was released on

Paramount+ Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Media Networks (formerly Viacom Med ...

in Canada and on Stan in Australia.

Reception

Critical response

On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, 68% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "An enjoyable blast of cartoonishly violent mayhem, ''Twisted Metal'' sometimes struggles to flesh out its source material, but ultimately offers an adaptation with surprising depth."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Daniel Fienberg of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' gave the first season a positive review saying, "It's a bit odd for any series to spend a season opening up its world only to set up a seemingly less expansive (if more expensive) second season, but fans will probably be happy. Generally, ''Twisted Metal'' is fast and fun and definitely won't be in the running for any Emmys, much less 24. And that's OK!" ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''{{'s Alison Herman gave a negative review, "The story of ''Twisted Metal'' is thin and packed with tropes; it's still an undertaking to get there from no story at all. The rest of the industry should ask whether that effort was worth it before the next wave of game TV starts to break". Daniel Kurland of

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music ...

gave the series a two and half out of five rating. He wrote, "''Twisted Metal'' is dumb fun that's big, broad, and unabashedly bloody. It's nowhere near the level of ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United State ...

'' or even SyFy's ''

Blood Drive Blood Drive may refer to: Donation *Blood drive, campaigns and special events to solicit blood donation A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medicati ...

'', but it's campy escapism that doesn't ask much of its audience". The series was nominated for "Best Adaptation" at

The Game Awards 2023 The Game Awards 2023 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2023. It was the tenth show hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, held with a live audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Califor ...

.{{Cite web , last=Spangler , first=Todd , date=2023-11-13 , title=The Game Awards 2023 Nominations: Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3 Lead the Pack With Eight Noms Each (Full List) , url=https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ , access-date=2023-11-13 , website=Variety , language=en-US

Viewership

After two weeks, the series became Peacock's "most-binged" comedy premiere to date. According to

Nielsen Nielsen may refer to: Business * Nielsen Gallery, an American commercial art gallery * Nielsen Holdings, global information, data, and measurement company ** Nielsen Corporation, a marketing research firm ** Nielsen Audio, formerly Arbitron, whic ...

data, it was one of the most watched streaming originals, with 400 million viewing minutes in the weekend following its premiere.{{Cite web , last=Campione , first=Katie , date=August 9, 2023 , title=''Twisted Metal'' Sets Audience Record For Peacock Comedies, Earns Spot Among Streamer's Top Originals Series , url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/twisted-metal-ratings-peacock-most-binged-streaming-record-anthony-mackie-stephanie-beatriz-1235458926/ , access-date=August 9, 2023 , website=

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...

, archive-date=August 9, 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809213258/https://deadline.com/2023/08/twisted-metal-ratings-peacock-most-binged-streaming-record-anthony-mackie-stephanie-beatriz-1235458926/ , url-status=live

References

{{Reflist

External links

* {{Peacock title, watch/asset/-/twisted-metal/7535133008773329112 * {{IMDb title {{Twisted Metal {{Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick {{Peacock (streaming service) 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2023 American television series debuts American action television series American television shows based on video games English-language television shows Live action television shows based on video games Peacock (streaming service) original programming Post-apocalyptic television series Television shows about death games Television series by PlayStation Productions Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Universal Television Television shows filmed in New Orleans Television series set in 1989 Television series set in 2002 Television series set in the 2020s Television shows set in Chicago Television shows set in Kansas Television shows set in Las Vegas Television shows set in San Francisco Twisted Metal Works based on Sony Interactive Entertainment video games